Crystal Palace
Despite facing a rough patch of games, Crystal Palace supporters still expect more from their team. After a defeat against Manchester United last Saturday, the team is having difficulty securing wins, which is a concerning trend heading into an important rivalry match at Selhurst Park.
Some fans had hoped that Crystal Palace would make a push for European competition this season, given underwhelming performances from teams like Liverpool and Chelsea. However, the Eagles currently sit 12th in the Premier League standings, 5 points shy of breaking into the top half of the table. The team’s 4-3-4 record at home has been underwhelming, especially considering the energetic support provided by the fans.
Crystal Palace has yet to secure a victory in the 6 games they have played in all competitions this year, with 4 losses, including a defeat at Old Trafford. The team experienced a surprising losing streak of 3 consecutive home games in all competitions, but they broke that streak with a 1-1 draw against Manchester United, thanks to a goal scored deep into injury time. This was followed by a scoreless draw against Newcastle United.
Joachim Andersen is uncertain to play, while Wilfred Zaha may miss the next several Premier League matches. Joel Ward is also questionable for the home team.
Crystal Palace Last 5 Results
04/02/23. 16:00 Manchester United – Crystal Palace 2 : 1 (1 : 0) (1 : 1) Premier League
21/01/23. 18:30 Crystal Palace – Newcastle United 0 : 0 (0 : 0) (0 : 0) Premier League
18/01/23. 21:00 Crystal Palace – Manchester United 1 : 1 (0 : 1) (1 : 0) Premier League
15/01/23. 15:00 Chelsea – Crystal Palace 1 : 0 (0 : 0) (1 : 0) Premier League
07/01/23. 13:30 Crystal Palace – Southampton 1 : 2 (1 : 1) (0 : 1) FA Cup
Brighton
Brighton deservedly secured a win over Bournemouth last weekend, thanks to a late goal, just as they did in the previous weekend’s victory over Liverpool in the FA Cup Fourth Round. Roberto De Zerbi deserves recognition for the team’s form, but he is likely to attribute much of the success to Kaoru Mitoma, who scored the winning goal in both matches.
Mitoma’s performance highlights the great work being done by the manager and has given Brighton fans reason to believe that this could be a special season, even after losing Graham Potter to Chelsea. The team currently sits 6th in the Premier League table, 5 points behind Tottenham Hotspur in 5th, but they have two games in hand and have advanced to the FA Cup Fifth Round. Brighton boasts a strong record away from home with a 5-2-3 record and have scored 21 goals on the road.
After suffering a 2-4 loss at home to Arsenal, Brighton has gone on a 6-game unbeaten streak in all competitions, winning 5 of those matches. The team had previously won 3 consecutive away games in all competitions, scoring at least three goals in each victory. However, in their last away game, they could only manage a 2-2 draw against Leicester City, scoring only two goals.
Alexis Mac Allister returns after serving a suspension, while Adam Lallana and Evan Ferguson are uncertain to play. Levi Colwell is expected to be available for the FA Cup Fifth Round match against Stoke City at the end of the month.
Brighton Last 5 Results
04/02/23. 16:00 Brighton and Hove Albion – AFC Bournemouth 1 : 0 (0 : 0) (1 : 0) Premier League
29/01/23. 14:30 Brighton and Hove Albion – Liverpool 2 : 1 (1 : 1) (1 : 0) FA Cup
21/01/23. 16:00 Leicester City – Brighton and Hove Albion 2 : 2 (1 : 1) (1 : 1) Premier League
14/01/23. 16:00 Brighton and Hove Albion – Liverpool 3 : 0 (0 : 0) (3 : 0) Premier League
07/01/23. 16:00 Middlesbrough – Brighton and Hove Albion 1 : 5 (1 : 2) (0 : 3) FA Cup
Head to Head
Fans may not like to call it a “derby,” but there is a clear animosity between Crystal Palace and Brighton as they face off for the first time this season.
In their two league matches last season, the score was 1-1 in each game and this has been the final result in 4 of the last 6 encounters between the two clubs.
Brighton emerged victorious with a 1-2 win at Selhurst Park in March 2019, but the last 3 matches played at this venue have all ended in a 1-1 draw.
Premier League
14/01/22, 21:00 Brighton and Hove Albion – Crystal Palace 1 : 1 (0 : 0) (1 : 1)
27/09/21, 21:00 Crystal Palace – Brighton and Hove Albion 1 : 1 (1 : 0) (0 : 1)
22/02/21, 21:00 Brighton and Hove Albion – Crystal Palace 1 : 2 (0 : 1) (1 : 1)
18/10/20, 15:00 Crystal Palace – Brighton and Hove Albion 1 : 1 (1 : 0) (0 : 1)
29/02/20, 13:30 Brighton and Hove Albion – Crystal Palace 0 : 1 (0 : 0) (0 : 1)
TWV Sport Team Thoughts
Brighton is generating a vast number of scoring opportunities and have established a reliable way of finding the back of the net in their away games, having scored at least two goals in each of their last 4 away matches in all competitions. While there are gaps in their defence that can be exploited by opponents, any team that can score as frequently as Brighton has deserves a great deal of respect.
Patrick Vieira’s squad has not been as productive in the attacking third and will again be without Wilfred Zaha this weekend. This may have played a role in the odds of an away victory decreasing, however, Crystal Palace managed to secure draws against Manchester United and Newcastle United, who were favoured to win their league games at Selhurst Park in the past three weeks.
While those outcomes must be considered, Crystal Palace were fortunate in both, and Brighton supporters are coming to the stadium full of assurance.
I do share their optimism for a successful outcome, but the odds are not particularly enticing – Brighton were similarly priced in their recent 2-2 draw at Leicester City, and the absence of clean sheets on the road raises concerns when backing a heavily favored team.
Therefore, I believe this could be another Brighton away match that is filled with exciting moments and offensive-style soccer.
The majority of Brighton’s recent away games, 8 out of 9, in all competitions have resulted in high-scoring affairs with both teams finding the net. In the Premier League, 8 of their 10 away fixtures this season have also produced at least three goals and the last 3 trips to Selhurst Park against Crystal Palace have ended in a 1-1 draw.
Given their recent attacking form, I believe that Brighton’s attackers will maintain their clinical finishing and contribute to the game exceeding the set total goal line.
Crystal Palace will need to step up to the plate in this fixture, as six of their seven previous home games saw three or more goals scored. However, their last two home games against Manchester United and Newcastle United ended in low-scoring draws due to a lack of precision in the attacking third. We believe that an early goal could ignite this intense rivalry into a high-scoring match.
Given that the odds for both a home win and goals in the game are similar, we’d would rather back the latter, even if we’ve a slight advantage with Brighton to secure another crucial victory.
Match Result Prediction
Brighton to win.
Score Prediction
Crystal Palace 0 – 2 Brighton
